Floor Speech2026-06-02

INTRODUCTION OF THE ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK ACT OF 2026

Context

On 2026-06-02, Representative Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) delivered a floor speech titled "INTRODUCTION OF THE ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK ACT OF 2026" in the House.

Full Text

Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E511] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] INTRODUCTION OF THE ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK ACT OF 2026 ______ HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON of the district of columbia in the house of representatives Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Rock Creek National Park Act of 2026, which would redesignate the United States- owned Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia as ``Rock Creek National Park.'' Redesignating this park will highlight its significance to the Nation. Rock Creek Park is already a ``national'' park, as it was established by Congress in 1890 ``for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States.'' Rock Creek Park was the first federally managed urban park and the third federal park ever created, after Yellowstone and Sequoia. Rock Creek Park was designed to preserve animals, timber, forestry and other interests in the park, and to ensure that its natural state is maintained as much as possible, not only for D.C. residents, but for all Americans. The park also preserves the ancient history of the land, as it was used for temporary settlements and as a quarry for weapons and tools by Native Americans from 7000 BCE until the 1600s. Rock Creek Park offers residents of D.C., Maryland and Virginia, as well as tourists, an escape from our increasingly urban environment. Residents and tourists alike enjoy many activities in the park's 2,000 acres, including hiking and biking, horseback riding, picnicking, tennis and other recreational activities in some of the open fields. Our residents have expressed their appreciation by volunteering to clean up and maintain the park. In 1918, landscape architects John Charles Olmstead and Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. wrote of Rock Creek Park, ``No matter how perfect the scenery of the park may be or may become, no matter how high its potential value, that value remains potential except insofar as it is enjoyed by large and ever larger numbers of people, poor and rich alike.'' Redesignating Rock Creek Park as Rock Creek National Park will help recognize the national status of this remarkable resource in our Nation's capital. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. ____________________

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INTRODUCTION OF THE ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK ACT OF 2026 Congressional Record, Volume 172 Issue 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026) [Congressional Record Volume 172, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 2, 2026)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E511] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [ www.gpo.gov ] INTRODUCTION OF THE ROCK CREEK NATIONAL PARK ACT OF 2026 ______ HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON of the district of columbia in the house of representatives Tuesday, June 2, 2026 Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to introduce the Rock Creek National Park Act of 2026, which would redesignate the United States- owned Rock Creek Park in the District of Columbia as ``Rock Creek National Park.'' Redesignating this park will highlight its significance to the Nation. Rock Creek Park is already a ``national'' park, as it was established by Congress in 1890 ``for the benefit and enjoyment of the people of the United States.'' Rock Creek Park was the first federally managed urban park and the third federal park ever created, after Yellowstone and Sequoia. Rock Creek Park was designed to preserve animals, timber, forestry and other interests in the park, and to ensure that its natural state is maintained as much as possible, not only for D.C. residents, but for all Americans. The park also preserves the ancient history of the land, as it was used for temporary settlements and as a quarry for weapons and tools by Native Americans from 7000 BCE until the 1600s. Rock Creek Park offers residents of D.C., Maryland and Virginia, as well as tourists, an escape from our increasingly urban environment. Residents and tourists alike enjoy many activities in the park's 2,000 acres, including hiking and biking, horseback riding, picnicking, tennis and other recreational activities in some of the open fields. Our residents have expressed their appreciation by volunteering to clean up and maintain the park. In 1918, landscape architects John Charles Olmstead and Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr. wrote of Rock Creek Park, ``No matter how perfect the scenery of the park may be or may become, no matter how high its potential value, that value remains potential except insofar as it is enjoyed by large and ever larger numbers of people, poor and rich alike.'' Redesignating Rock Creek Park as Rock Creek National Park will help recognize the national status of this remarkable resource in our Nation's capital. I urge my colleagues to support this bill. ____________________